By Laura Potts, PetSafe Digital Marketing Specialist
Laura's dogs, Ellie and Lincoln, recently moved into a new home with Laura and have a new back yard to call their own!
It’s an exciting time for our family. For the first time since their adoption, my dogs Lincoln and Ellie will have their very own yard to run and play in. My husband and I just purchased our first home and moved in last week. Whew!
No one ever told us what a process home-buying can be, especially with pets. But we’re getting settled in and couldn’t be happier with the new place. With this being our first home, I’ve certainly learned a few things along the way. One of which is how much my dogs played a role in the home we picked. While wandering through dozens of houses,
I couldn’t help but imagine if my dogs would like living there too. So if you’ll soon be on the market for a new pet-friendly home, here are a few tips I learned along the way:
1. Consider accessibility – One of my pets, Lincoln, is a senior pet. And after two major back surgeries, stairs just aren’t his thing. When looking for our house, I immediately ruled out homes with lots of stairs to enter the home or within the home to a second level. It’s important to consider the mobility of your pets. Even if they’re young now, will the house work for them as they age? Our new home has one step out into the backyard, so we spent one afternoon building Lincoln a ramp and he’s happy as a clam.
2. Pick the right yard – My criteria for a great yard came down to size and safety. I gravitated to yards that gave them plenty of room to run. I also had to be mindful of how I was going to keep their play area safe. While many of the yards we looked at had in-ground containment systems, the house we ended up purchasing had an old broken fence and a little too aggressive neighbor dog, so we opted to build a physical fence for our rowdy Ellie.
3. Research any ordinances and regulations – Unfortunately some communities prohibit certain breeds or have Home Owners Associations that place restrictions on the type or number of pets allowed. Ask your realtor if your pets will be welcome before signing on the dotted lines (and boy, are there lots of them). It’s a great feeling letting Ellie and Lincoln out into “their” backyard. I’m glad we found a dog-friendly house all four of us really love.
How about you? Did you buy your house with your dogs in mind?
ABOUT LAURA Laura manages the complete digital media presence for the PetSafe Brand. Laura also donates her time to helping improve animal welfare. She has helped saved the lives of many pets through her work and more directly by adopting two dogs of her own, Ellie and Lincoln who often accompany her to work and to volunteer events in Knoxville.
